Kevin Rudd's 2008 Apology to the Stolen Generations

After decades of political and public debate, the first act of the first sitting of the newly elected Federal Government on 12 February 2008 was the delivery of an official apology to the Indigenous peoples who were taken from families and communities throughout the 19th and 20th centuries in Australia.

The statement by Kevin Rudd, Australian Prime Minister 2007-2010, acknowledged and took responsibility for past government policies and actions.

What was your personal response to this moment in Australia’s political history? Did you find it an emotional experience? Did you agree or disagree with saying sorry? Did it affect you directly?

All I know is that this Sorry fiasco has not brought Australia together. It has divided this land and made people like myself, who used to have tolerant and empathic feelings towards Aboriginals, spitting mad. Rosemary, 2008

The PM's apology expresses my concern, empathy and desire that this will begin some psychological and spiritual healing. Joanne Gardiner, Melbourne, 2008

To share your response use the Comments Box at the bottom of this page. Selected written responses will be shown on our website and may be chosen to be shown in the exhibition interactive.

Comments (18)

I think this was a very important but long overdue apology to the members of the Stolen Generations and their families. I am very glad it was made, and I felt quite moved watching it and the many people who attended.
However it does not go far enough. There is the question of reparation that needs to be addressed. AND So many of the recommendations of the Bringing them Home report remain to be achieved. Australians should be educated and helped to be aware of the need not to forget the trauma and injustice suffered by the members of the Stolen Generation at the hands of official policy and those who carried it out- SO THAT we can keep an eye on the progress towards healing via those recommendations, and make sure that it happens.

what do mean with that??
Do you mean you hate the speech??
I think it was time to say SORRY, but it doesn´t bring the children back to the Family.
But it is also to late to say this, because the hole Generation aren´t alive.
Today you can´t believe that children were stolen or can be stolen today.
I loved this speech, because Kevin rudd spoke it with so much Feeling, that had to cry when i heard the speech or the first time.

I think it was a very glad speech and that was very important for the stolen generation and for their families.It's a dark part of the history of Australia but it was important to say sorry and to say we have done that,saddely but we have done.

He actually did not apologise on the publics' behalf, so no one is making 'us' apologise. He apologised for the wrongdoing of the government, parliament, and the PMs past. Also for the problems with the laws created to have caused such issues in the first place. all the 'we' have to do is work as a nation towards reconciliation. :)

i think that kevin rudd is a good man because of what he did. i mean no one else would have done that because they mightve thought that we shouldnt apologize for something that was done decades ago but the thing is, is that people such as the indigenous australians still live today and for them to hear that apology may mean alot to them because it was a time in history that shouldnt of happen but did.why cant people just accept and move on and live happy to the fullest and just remember, if it happened to you then you would